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Whole Wheat Biscuits

Homemade Gyro Meat

So I think it’s pretty evident that I’m on a Greek food kick. First it was the homemade Greek salad, and then after seeing Emily’s tzatziki dip, I knew it was time to make homemade gyro meat and treat myself to quite possibly one of the best Greek salads I’ve had in a long time.

I don’t know what it is about Orange County, but we seem to be severely lacking in the Greek food department. The closest I ever got was Chicken Dijon, but that has since closed and wasn’t the most authentic shop in town anyway. If I wanted gyro, I was going to have to make it myself.

At first I wasn’t even sure I could make homemade gyro meat because I don’t have a rotisserie. Then I stumbled upon this genius recipe on serious eats and realized I could turn my gyro dreams into a reality.

While this may not be exactly like the gyro meat you get at a proper restaurant, it’s pretty dang close. Plus, from start to finish this recipe only takes about 40 minutes, so you’ll have delicious homemade gyro meat in no time!

The best part of this meat is how versatile it is. I had it on top of my homemade Greek salad, and the Englishman enjoyed it in a wrap. Paired with Emily’s tzatziki dip, some feta and olive oil, and it was perfection.

Now I need to plan a trip to Greece.

Homemade Gyro Meat (adapted from Serious Eats)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp bay leaves

1 tsp herbs de Provence

1/2 onion, cut into large chunks

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced.

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine your lamb, herbs de Provence, salt and pepper and mix well. Place your bow in the fridge for about an hour to let the flavors marinate.

Preheat your oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place your chopped onion and garlic on the sheet.

Remove your meat from the fridge and mold into a rectangular loaf. The loaf should be thin and not too thick (about 1.5 in high). Place bay leaves on top of your meat.

Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until the lamb is fully cooked through. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Slice your meat into thin strips. Set your oven to broil and place meat back in the oven on a baking sheet and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until the ends are nice and crispy.

Now it’s time to enjoy your homemade gyro meat! It’s perfect in a salad, wrap or just on its own!

If you aren’t a big lamb fan this recipe also works well with ground beef.

Any other Greek food fans out there? What do I need to make next?

Grain-Free Pumpkin Date Muffins

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Yes, another pumpkin muffin recipe. Guilty as charged. But these muffins are different because they are grain-free pumpkin date muffins and may be my new fall favorite.

It all started when I was on my 10 mile run this weekend. Usually when I’m running I think about what I want for breakfast (since I run early in the morning) and what I really wanted was the Carrot Banana Muffins that I’ve made from the True Food Kitchen cookbook numerous times. But I did not have any carrots or bananas in my house, and the last thing I felt like doing after running 10 miles was hopping in the car and driving to the store. Naturally we have an abundance of canned pumpkin in the house, so I decided to see if I could sub the pumpkin in for the carrot and banana in the True Food Kitchen recipe.

To be honest, I didn’t take many pictures while I was making the grain-free pumpkin date muffins because I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. But they turned out delicious! Almost like mini pumpkin cakes sweetened with maple syrup and dates.

If you want to make these “true” paleo muffins, I would swap the maple syrup for the honey, otherwise these muffins are grain-free and gluten-free which is perfect for a wide variety of diets.

So embrace the pumpkin recipe overload because these are delicious. Trust me.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Date Muffins (inspired from the True Food Kitchen cookbook)

*Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

3 eggs (I used 1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons egg whites)

1 cup pumpkin

1 1/4 cup dates, pitted

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325F. Lightly grease or line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Place your dates in a food processor. Pulse until dates begin to resemble more of a paste. Add your pumpkin, almond flour, eggs (or egg whites), coconut oil, maple syrup, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to the food processor and pulse until everything is well blended.

(If you don’t have a food processor you can still make these by hand, just make sure your dates are finely chopped.)

Gently spoon your batter into the muffin tins and place in the oven. Bake for 40-43 minutes. You’ll know the muffins are done by sticking a toothpick in the center and seeing if it comes out clean.

These muffins have a nice texture to them and are perfect with a pat of butter, chocolate spread, peanut butter, etc. etc. And since there is minimal sugar in them, they are practically a health food (or so I tell myself). I just might have to try these muffins as a grain-free pumpkin date bread next.